Method of manufacturing hand-wheels.



G. W., F. H. & E. A. BLUEMBL. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING HAND WHEELS.APPLICATION rum] 1330.29, 1911.

Patented July 2, 1912 2&(55: eases.

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12% Z011; Cizarkc MMBZ a @7114" (I CHARLES WILLIAM BLUE-MEL, FRANK HENRYBLUEMEL, AND ERNEST ADOLPHU'S BLUEMEL, F WOLSTON, NEAB COVENTRY,ENGLAND.

-ME'I'H( D 0F MANUFACTURILNG HAND-WHEELS.

Specification of. Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Application filed December 29, 1911. Serial No. 868,515.

' ERNEST ADoLPHUsBLUnMEL, subjects of the is pierced King of GreatBritain, residing at lVolston, near Coventry, in the county of Warwick,England, have invented an Improved Method of Manufacturinga Hand-VVheel,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing handwheels chiefly intended foruse as steering hand wheels for automobiles.

According to our invention, the rim of the wheel is made from weldlessdrawn steel tube of oval or circular cross-section bent into ring-shapeand upon which is threaded, before the ends of the bent tube are joinedto complete the ring, a tubular sheath of celluloid. The arms of thewheel are inclined to the axis so as to hem the surface of a cone, andthe outer end of each arm is provided with a shoulder and a projectingtongue. The rim on its inner side or slotted with a series of openingswhich are milled to correspond in size and position of the arms, and thehub and arms are then attached to the rim by placing the same inposition within the rim resting on 'a suitable support and then applyingpressure to fiattcn the angle of the arms somewhat, thus causing theends ofthe arms to spread outwardly and enter the holes in the rim, theshoulders of the arms bearing tightly against the rim.

I In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wheelrim embodying the present improvements, in course of construction. Fig.2 is a plan view of a completed wheel rim with a hub and arms shown inposition ready to be secured thereto. Fig. 3 shows a section on the linea, m, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a detail view, in section, showing the jointbetween one arm and the rim, in a completed wheel.

Referring to th drawing a is a weldless drawn metal tube bentapproximately to a ring shape with the ends out of alinement, over whicha tubular sheath 7) of celluloid is drawn. The ends of the sheath 6 areat first forced back to leave the ends of the tube a exposed as shown inFig. 1. After a short sleeve or liner-c has been inserted in the tube athe ends of the latter having with the tongues on the ends been broughtinto alinement are butted together around the liner and united by welding, or otherwise. The ends of the celluloid sheath are then stretchedto overlap one another covering the joint in the tube a, and arethemselves united by cementing or in any suitable manner. By bending themetal tube, which may be of oval, circular or other convenientcross-section, in a spiral form so that the ends are out of alinement,the draw ing on of a seamless celluloid sheath of cor respondingcross-section is facilitated.

Figs. 2 and 3 show a completed rim, seated on a'table or bed at ready toreceive the ends of arms or spokes e radiating from a hub The arms orspokes and the hub may be cast integrally in suitable malleable metal,or stamped from sheet metal, or

built up-of parts welded together. The arms or spokes are inclined so asto lie on the surface of a cone and each arm is formed at its outer endwith a shoulder g and tongue h. Slots 6 correspondingto the tongues hare formed in the rim and the said tongues are forced into the slots bysupporting the rim and arms on the bed (Z and then applying pressure tothehub to flatten the angle of the arms thus causing the ends of thearms to move outwardly into the slots 2' with the shoulders 9 bearingtightly against the inner periphery of the rim.

The improved method of construction enables the rim of a steeringhand-wheel to be covered with celluloid tubing which is a cheaper andbetter method than covering a finished rim with celluloid applied bymeans of dies. Moreover the wheel constructed as described is muchstronger than a wheel having a built up rim.

What we claim is:

1. A method of manufacturing a handwheel, consisting in bending a metaltube approximately to the shape of a ring with the ends of the tube outof alinement, drawing a tubular sheath of celluloid on to the bent tubeleaving exposed, at both ends,

parts of the said tube, bringing the ends of the tube into alinement anduniting them, bringing the ends of the sheath together to entirely coverthe metal tube, uniting these ends of the sheath and finally fitting ahub and spokes to this ring.

2. A method of manufacturing a handwheel, consisting in bending a metaltube approximately to the shape of a ring with the ends of the tube outof alinement, draW ing a tubular sheath of celluloid on to the bent tubeleavingexposed, at both ends, parts of the said tube, bringing the endsof the tube into alinement and uniting them, bring.- ing the ends of thesheath together to entirely cover the metal tube, ends of the'sheaththus forming a rlm, providing slots in the said rim facing thecenter 3 of the rim, further providing a hub, and spokes which radiateconically from said hub, providing shoulders on the spokes and tonguesprojecting beyond the shoulders, ar-

uniting these forcing the tongues of the spokes, into the slots in therim and pressing the shoulders tightly against the rim.

CHARLES WILLIAM. BLUEMEL. FRANK HENRY BLUEMEL. ERNEST ADOLPHUS. BLUEMEL.

WVitnesses CHARLES A. FLETCHER, CHARLES A. ATTWOOD.

